Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Over the course of spring football, we’re going to look in on a few of our ACC foes as they work through spring football. It’s not like any of us have staff members sitting in on BC football practices, and even if we did, there probably wouldn’t be much to talk about, so why not have some substantive conference football discussion?

For this interview, we welcome Fansided’s newest ACC blog, Chop Chat, and its editor, Duke, as he discusses the current state of Florida State Seminoles football and what we might expect to see from the defending ACC champions.

STG: If my information is right, your Seminoles have their spring game next Saturday. At a football school with tradition like yours, I’d imagine it’s a big event. Just in general, what’s the day like and what kind of crowds do you expect?

CC: When I was a student, the spring games weren’t a big deal. We went to them, but they’d be lucky to hit around 20,000 people. Things are different now. Jimbo Fisher is equal parts coach and businessman. He understands that you have to drive up interest in Spring to get more season ticket holders in the Fall. Recently, we have been hitting 50,000 fans and I would expect slightly less than that this year. 50,000 still means lots of fun and tailgating, a primer for the Fall. Last year, expectations couldn’t have been higher for the 2012 squad. ESPN sent their army to televise the game. Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach were honorary coaches and even called a few series. This year, no one knows what to expect from FSU and while that makes this squad mysterious, it won’t have a lot of hype. This year’s game, though, is much more important than last year’s.

STG: Moving onto the actual football matters, EJ Manuel is on his way to the NFL. Who are the main contenders for the next starting quarterback and who do you expect to emerge in the spring game?

CC: If you listen to Jimbo Fisher, there are four candidates: Clint Trickett (the son of FSU’s OL coach), Jacob Coker (an underrated, big armed QB out of Alabama), Jameis Winston (a heralded two-sport star), and Sean Maguire (a solid prospect from New Jersey). So far, none of the QBs have been able to separate themselves and I don’t see Jimbo picking his guy until a few days before the opening game. I personally believe Trickett will win the job because he’s a coach’s son and understands the game, but Jameis Winston is the fan favorite. He exudes talent. He just might not be ready, however.

View the rest of the interview on the next page

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

After beating Wake Forest earlier in the week, the Boston College Eagles are back to their typical ways: losing close games. On Saturday afternoon, it was the Florida State Seminoles who vanquished BC, taking a 69-66 decision in Tallahassee. With the loss, Boston College falls to 11-14 (3-9) on the season.

The start of the game was quite rough for the Eagles, as they eventually fell behind 24-12 with just over six minutes to go in the first half. During that stretch, BC was getting out-rebounded by over a two-to-one margin and Florida State had little trouble collecting offensive rebounds. The Eagles’ defensive possessions were also poor, allowing FSU to shoot at about a 60% clip for much of the half.

Shortly thereafter, BC staged a huge momentum shift with a 9-0 run and was able to work their deficit to a much more manageable five points at the half. With some more plugging away, the Eagles were able to take a lead with about 13 minutes to go in the game on a Patrick Heckmann three. Unfortunately for BC, that was the only lead they held in the game; for essentially all of the remainder of the contest, BC trailed FSU by single-digits but was unable to break through again after the game was tied at 47-47. The Eagles had a chance at the end, but Ryan Anderson missed a wide-open, game-tying three attempt as time expired.

Florida State shot 51% from the floor and 54% from beyond the arc, speaking to what at times was some very bad defense by the Eagles. BC shot 44% overall but 56% from beyond the arc, which is an uplifting sign, but also one that suggests the Eagles still live and die by the three-pointer. Without it, BC probably doesn’t stage their comeback.

Had Boston College not played so poorly for the first 14 minutes of the game, it is absolutely conceivable that they could have won. Give BC credit for being able to come back from a double-digit deficit on the road to be able to keep the game respectable, but ultimately, it was another inconsistent effort that cost them a victory.

Eddie Odio again made some flashy big plays, including a dunk and a big block near the end of regulation while also managing nine points off the bench, and freshman Olivier Hanlan had another excellent offensive game, leading all BC scorers with 19 points. Michael Snaer of FSU had the most of anyone with 21.

If BC won all or most of these very close games in which they’ve been involved this year, their season outlook might be very different. Regardless, we have known for some time that the 2012-13 season will amount to little. Boston College will attempt to get back on track at home on Tuesday night against Maryland.

It gets worse.

On Saturday evening in Tallahassee, Florida, the Boston College Eagles fell to the #12 Florida State Seminoles, 51-7. It was the first time BC had allowed 50 or more points in a game in 12 years, and it was the most lopsided loss against the Eagles in a very long time. Boston College falls to 1-5 (0-3) on the season and have now lost nine games in a row to ranked opposition.

The scoring plays of this game are irrelevant in this recap. Suffice it to say that each possession for these teams, save a few exceptions, went as follows: BC goes nowhere/gives up by calling draw plays, FSU has guys wide-open all over the field and breezes to points. Florida State was up 28-0 before BC cracked the scoreboard, despite the fact that the Eagles were on the one yard line in the first drive of the game and did not score.

BC’s defense is absolutely terrible, and that’s being kind. In total, they allowed FSU 649 yards and 30 first downs. Keep in mind that Florida State committed nearly 100 yards of penalties and went -1 in turnovers, and still scored 51 points. They also took their starters out of the game with plenty of time to spare. Make no mistake: BC could have easily given up 60 points and over 700 yards today if the Seminoles kept their foot on the gas. The defense wasn’t extraordinarily gassed, either, as BC had a slight edge in time of possession. It was simply a major gap in talent and coaching.

Chase Rettig and the offense had a predictably frustrated day. FSU’s defensive front seven is just too strong, and they let Rettig know they were there by hitting him on almost every other play. Taking him out of the game late was a no-brainer. The Eagles managed only 225 yards in their defeat.

The Army loss last week was bad in a different way than this game. Both were awful defeats, but while Army showed that BC can’t even beat bad teams anymore, this one demonstrated comprehensibly that the Eagles cannot compete with the top teams in their own conference.

These are the depths to which Frank Spaziani has taken us. Once more, this blog loudly and proudly calls for him to be fired immediately, and with cause. Saturday’s game was an embarrassment to my alma mater, and the coach showed again that he is an incompetent failure who is damaging my school every moment he draws a paycheck from it. Anyone still supporting this guy can’t be helped but should still consider professional therapy as an enhancing measure.

On a final note, I had been quiet about this (for the most part) for a few days, but for the first time I can remember, I need to make an example. Several players on the defense the other day were crowing about Florida State not respecting them. One even went so far as to suggest that the Seminoles were not mentally tough enough to bounce back from their loss last week and would fold it up for at least this game. You can see now, if you didn’t already, why these comments were ill-advised.

One must always respect their opponent, even if the opponent doesn’t respect them. If you’re going to say stuff like this, back it up. BC apparently did neither, and this is the result. Projecting quiet confidence is fine, even at 1-4 (now 1-5), but anything more conveys the wrong attitude. The players can’t be saying stuff like this to the media.

This team needs a fresh perspective and a coaching adjustment as their disaster season continues. Brad Bates got a full education today on this team, I assure you.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

There’s a good chance this football game down in Tallahassee tomorrow won’t be pretty. In light of Florida State assuming mortality, it looks prettier than it otherwise would have been. It’ll be a tough article for Eagles fans to swallow, but nevertheless, we must proceed. The good news is that BC hockey plays at 7, so in the event that this does not go well, Jerry York has your back.

How Boston College Will Win

To claim a major upset victory, Boston College has to play a perfect game, which is to say far better than they have played in any game so far. Florida State, bummed out as they are about last week, might show some serious resolve. Then again, they might not, but what we do know is that a team as talented as FSU is not going to give BC a lot of chances. Boston College will have to take advantage of every single one. What’s more is that the defense has to play much, much better than previously. If they do that, they will give themselves a chance.

How Florida State Will Win

Florida State will win if Boston College plays anything less than perfect, or the Seminoles decide not to sleepwalk through the game. If the BC defense does not show any notable improvement, FSU will go off to the races. Fairly simple.

Bottom Line

As much as it hurts a BC alum to say it, Florida State has superior talent and superior coaching (though their talent sometimes underachieves and I don’t think Jimbo Fisher is that great of a coach). They are 28-point favorites for a reason. The Eagles have been competitive in their FBS games, but have not actually won any of them. There are reasons for that, too.

Chris Pantale returns for the Eagles, which might be a boost. The offense is not the problem, however: it’s that the defense will probably get sauteed like bacon-wrapped scallops. There is shockingly little keeping the Seminoles from gaining at least 500 yards, if not more. It might take Florida State some time to get into the game, but if they do, their best is much better than BC’s best. This looks pretty bleak.

STG Outlook: Boston College at Florida State

• Score estimate: FSU by 28
• Mild to moderate confidence in FSU covering spread (-28)
• Low probability of a low-scoring game; at least one team will score 30+
• Low probability of a high-scoring game on the part of both teams

Additional Notes

• Boston College’s last win over FSU in 2009 (28-21 at Alumni Stadium)
• Boston College’s last win over FSU on the road in 2008 (27-17); BC’s last victory to date over a ranked team
• Boston College has lost eight games in a row against ranked teams

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Right from the start, this game looked like a difficult one on the 2012 schedule for the Boston College Eagles football team. One way or another, BC fans are going to remember this one. When it comes to this game, you’ve got questions – though probably not the same as the five asked – and we’ve got answers. Away we go:

5. Is Florida State vulnerable after losing to NC State?

Possibly, but a lot of that depends upon the emotional chemistry of the Seminoles right now. Last year, when a bunch of people thought FSU was ready for prime-time, they lost one game and that quickly turned into three in a row. The last two of those were on the road, and the first was to Oklahoma. Through that stretch, FSU’s most questionable loss was Wake Forest, themselves a bowl team. Eventually, the ‘Noles picked it up, but not before obliterating their season and settling for the Champs Sports Bowl.

Using last year as a guide, it’s not impossible to think that now that they’ve lost a game, they might start sulking and play worse. The thing is, their opponents this week have not played a good game yet and we’re five games into the season. Florida State’s armor may be damaged, but is BC the team to take advantage? Stay tuned until the conclusion.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Contrary to expectations coming into this 2012 football season, the Boston College Eagles offense has been the lesser issue. Granted, it would not take a great deal of fixing to make them better than in 2011, but there have been a few legitimate improvements. This week, they face perhaps their toughest task of the entire season as they draw the Florida State Seminoles defense.

All Boston College football fans remember what happened the last time these two teams met at Alumni Stadium on a Thursday night last year. The Eagles suffered a blowout loss, and the offense only netted 7 points and 207 offensive yards. These are two slightly different teams now, but the leadership at the top is the same. One would hope Boston College’s play-callers and decision-makers do not decide to give up in 2012 the way they did in 2011 (and make no mistake, whether it’s running consecutive draw plays on 2nd and 3rd & 21 or punting down 31 in FSU territory, the coaches indeed gave up).

Led by quarterback Chase Rettig and wide receiver Alex Amidon, the Eagles’ passing game has markedly improved, and BC’s passing offense is the 16th-most prolific in FBS. Last week at Army, Rettig did not have his best game of the season, but did not play poorly. Amidon did well and the previously-injured Bobby Swigert started getting back into the mix, but what failed Rettig was his offensive line. Until Army, the front five did a respectable job protecting Chase Rettig on passing downs, but on Saturday, a much smaller defensive front seven effectively blitzed and took Rettig down five times. The Black Knights accomplished this through athleticism and probably better scheme.

This is especially concerning because Florida State has no such issues with size, and has far superior athleticism to Army. Defensive ends Bjoern Werner and Cornellius Carradine have a combined 13.5 sacks already this season, leading the Seminoles to the top 25 in the nation in sacks. If the Boston College offensive line can’t stop breaking down like they did in West Point, then Florida State’s front seven will tear it to shreds. Chase Rettig will have to realize that he is not going to have much time in the pocket against the Seminoles.

Boston College’s run game, as predicted and expected, had its best day of the season so far against Army, including Andre Williams’ record-breaking 99-yard touchdown run. The problem is that BC only had a total of 87 yards on 27 other plays, including five Rettig sacks for a total loss of 37 yards. Just like last year, however, the Seminoles come into the BC game with an elite run defense. Florida State is fifth in the nation, allowing only 71.33 yards per game on the ground. It is highly likely that the Eagles will see their run game revert back to what they had been prior to Army.

For what it’s worth, Florida State is also #4 in total defense and #7 in scoring defense. The Seminoles allow the second-fewest first downs in FBS and the third-fewest third-down conversions. Boston College proved comparatively ineffective in the first downs department last weekend and are not good at converting on third downs. Florida State’s red zone defense is middle-of-the-road, which is perhaps the only so-so thing one can say about it.

Clemson is the only team that showed that it is possible to move the ball on Florida State — even with the Seminoles losing last week, they only gave up 17 points. With the state of the BC defense, it is going to take many more than 17 points to win. BC’s problem is that their offense is average, while FSU’s defense is legitimately elite. They are loaded with talent and match up with this group well.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

We might as well get this out of the way first.

The Boston College defense has seen better days. Better years, in fact. The Eagles are now treading into territory with which they are unfamiliar: the bottom of FBS. After another disappointing day at the office in West Point, they have about as tough a draw imaginable as they must stop the Florida State Seminole offense.

The performance of the Eagles defense is transcending words at this point. It’s doubtful that anyone, much less the players themselves, thought it could get this bad, but the numbers are self-explanatory:

What more can any blogger or beat writer say about it that hasn’t already been said? The stats speak for themselves, but we know the underlying issues: poor tackling, bad scheme, line play, and more. For every good moment they have (e.g. stopping Army on fourth down in the fourth quarter), BC has about six bad ones (e.g. letting them score a long touchdown in the final minute, allowing over 500 rushing yards, etc.). Fundamentals have disappeared and unfortunately for them, nothing is going right.

If a miraculous epiphany is coming, it’s not happening this week. Despite Florida State’s offensive performance against NC State, the Seminoles are still one of the most dangerous offenses around. They only scored 16 points on the Wolfpack in Raleigh, but still average about 45 points per game (7th in FBS) and over 510 yards per game (14th). What makes this even worse from a Boston College perspective is that they will face a team that rushes for an average of 238.5 yards per game (13th).

Quarterback EJ Manuel and his Seminoles also do well in the red zone, converting 89% of the time (BC: 71%). Manuel himself also has one of the higher passer efficiency ratings in the nation at 166.89 (8th in FBS; Rettig: 134.98 – 57th).

If the Wolfpack showed the world anything last week during their major upset victory over Florida State, it’s that the Seminoles can be stopped. The problem here is that the Eagles have had extreme difficulty shutting down lesser offenses so far this year. It is hard to imagine things going differently when faced with an offense that has so many weapons, such as Manuel, Chris Thompson, and James Wilder, Jr. FSU runs the ball very effectively, and Boston College has demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that they cannot stop it.

This is a significant matchup advantage for Florida State. It looks like it will be a very long day for the BC defense, as the Seminoles run game will keep them on the field and eventually wear them out.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Despite the Seminoles being 5-1 and the Eagles 1-4, both of these teams have something in common.

Both spent last Saturday getting kicked in the face at the last minute.

Florida State’s defeat was far more costly, as the Seminoles all but lost their chance at a national championship when they fell to NC State, 17-16. Boston College’s 34-31 loss to Army was merely a matter of pride.

It was the Eagles’ first loss to the Black Knights in 17 years, since the dark days of Dan Henning in Chestnut Hill. Now sitting at 1-4 and just having lost the second-easiest game on their schedule, Boston College appears to be going nowhere fast. The offense, though improved, could not do enough while the defense is on-track to be BC’s worst in more than a decade.

On Saturday, FSU returns home to host the Eagles, who will play the second game in their three-game road trip which took them to West Point and will send them to Atlanta later. That the Eagle defense is struggling mightily is not a good sign against a Seminoles offense that, until they played NC State, was shredding their opponents at will.

Florida State lost some of their air of invincibility when they were defeated at Raleigh on Saturday night, but that has not impacted the bookies’ view of this game much. Boston College opened as 27-point underdogs to the Seminoles, who will no doubt be anything but amenable after suffering a gut-punch loss. That has already moved to 28 or 28.5 at some sports books.

Coming into this season, this looked like it might be a difficult contest. As of the last few weeks, it has seemed to be about as certain of a BC loss as we have seen in a very long time. Though FSU proved themselves mortal, as Boston College has just lost to Army, that outlook probably has not changed drastically. Perhaps the Seminoles are not as good as everybody suspected, but it is hard for fans to think “major upset” on the back of an embarrassing loss in a 1-4 season.